"A society that gets rid of all its troublemakers goes downhill." -Robert A.Heinlein, science-fiction author (1907-1988)  - Favorite quote of Kathleen Matusmura. 
  
By Kristy Alpert    

When the votes came in for Kathleen Matsumura’s second round at running for Farmers Brach City Council, this 63-year-old activist knew it was time to take matters into her own hands when it came to influencing her community.
   
“After the second failed attempt, I decided I could affect change without being elected to office, so I became a community volunteer,” Matsumura explains. “One of the first issues to snag my attention was the effort to build a toll road within the levees along the Trinity River. I began collecting names and email addresses. My eNews, free to those who wish to receive it, was first used to communicate the progress of this fight. It later blossomed to contain info about environmental, nonprofit, arts and government news.”
   
Some refer to Matsumura’s eNewsletter as an eBlast and others call it K-News, but regardless of the name, her (usually) weekly email comes packed with local and environmental news, issues and events from organizations and reader submissions. Matsumura puts out versions of the eNews for greater Dallas readers, Farmers Branch readers and she even has a Community Together eNews that focuses on info for Northwest Dallas/Metrocrest nonprofits.

“In all versions, I try to cut to the bone and leave most info available at a website link,” she adds. “In this way, I can include more news without adding too much to the overall length of each eNews edition. I see myself as communicator and a connector. When I started, I was struck by how much was happening that was not publicized in the local news, either broadcast or print. I wanted to rectify that as much as I could. The more I can inform, the more I feel I can empower readers to be productive, active members of the community.”
   
Matsumura’s eNews blast invites readers learn about events and issues that may be important to them and learn what the “other side” is saying while providing a platform for them to share their opinions without fear of being negatively impacted. “Readers say they appreciate that a variety of info is available to them in their Inboxes without any effort on their part,” she says. “They can read it in the same way they read any such compilation, picking out the pieces that interest them.”

To subscribe to Matsumura’s eNews blast, or to send her your “news and views,” email Kathleen Matsumura at
kmatsumu@swbell.net
specifying which eNews you’d prefer to receive (greater Dallas, Farmers Branch and/or Community Together).

Freelance writer Kristy Alpert has been covering the green scene since before it was the “thing to do.” Her work has been featured in publications such as D Magazine, Omni Escapes, DallasChild, Modern Luxury, Home Comfort Style, Oregon Home, among others. When not crafting stories at her refinished Victorian writing desk, she can be found traveling the globe or scouring the bins at flea markets, searching for those diamonds in the rough. You can contact her at kristy.alpert@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @kristyalpert.